[TF Interview] Kim Young-kwang Reclaims Rom-Com Excitement with 'Recharge Me'

Baekhorang and felt I made the right choice""Clichés as they should be"... Sweet chemistry completed with Chae Soo-binActor Kim Young-kwang met with for an interview about the Netflix original series 'Tell Me Your Wish'. /Netflix[THE FACT|Reporter Kim Saet-byul] Actor Kim Young-kwang, who has mostly shown a heavy atmosphere in genre dramas, re-experienced the charm of romance that conveys excitement and laughter through 'Tell Me Your Wish'. He struggled with cheesy lines and unrealistic situations, but ultimately immersed himself in the emotions of Baekhorang and completed the fun of a romantic comedy in his own way.Kim Young-kwang recently met with at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, for an interview commemorating the release of the Netflix original series 'Tell Me Your Wish' (written by Song Yu-chae, directed by Park Soo-won). He played the role of Baekhorang, the third-generation chaebol who is a meticulous rule-follower and perfectionist, and shared various stories about the work and the character.'Tell Me Your Wish', based on a web novel, is a romantic comedy that tells the story of Baekhorang (played by Kim Young-kwang), whose artificial heart battery is drained, and Na Bo-bae (played by Chae Soo-bin), who has the ability to conduct electricity, entering into a contract out of mutual necessity. All 10 episodes were released on the 9th.Upon seeing the viewers' reactions after the release of the work, Kim Young-kwang could not hide his pride. He said, "I haven't watched much, but I'm grateful to see the exciting scenes edited and uploaded," and added, "I'm so proud that many people are enjoying it and watching it kindly."Above all, this work reawakened Kim Young-kwang's love for romance. After recently continuing with genre dramas such as 'Somebody', 'The Evil Lawyer', 'Trigger', and 'A Lucky Day', he met with a romantic comedy after a long time. He said, "Doing a rom-com made me feel like my passion for romance dramas was coming back to life. I often felt like I made the right choice."Kim Young-kwang, who thought he wasn't greatly affected by the atmosphere of the work, also changed his mind about doing a bright rom-com. He said, "When I did genre dramas, looking at myself in official settings or reflecting on it, I felt like there was a wall in front of me. On the other hand, doing a rom-com broke down that wall, and I feel good because my tension seems to have risen a lot compared to the atmosphere I maintained."However, filming wasn't entirely easy. Baekhorang, who is a perfectionist and meticulously plans everything, is a prickly and flawless character from the beginning. Kim Young-kwang tried to express the character's personality from his outward appearance. He emphasized a sharp, structured feel in his clothing and expressed his reluctance to easily open up to others by not smiling much or trying to take the lead in conversations.Actor Kim Young-kwang met viewers with a romance drama after a long time through the Netflix original series 'Tell Me Your Wish', and this time he played the role of a third-generation chaebol again. /NetflixOn the other hand, as the romance began in earnest, he had to overcome his own awkwardness. Kim Young-kwang recalled, "There was a struggle with things that weren't based in reality. I had to overcome the thought, 'Do people really act like this? Why are they doing that?' and at those times, the director and actress Chae Soo-bin encouraged me, saying I could do it."In particular, the scenes that unfolded in Bo-bae's imagination or in a play-within-a-play required even more courage. Kim Young-kwang confessed with a laugh, "It's a situation that's even more detached from reality. At the same time, I had to show seriousness as a bodyguard. I had a lot of internal struggles."To overcome this, he even exaggerated certain aspects. For example, he often let out a loud "Ha" laugh from his dantian, representing the energy of the white tiger in the play. Kim Young-kwang explained, "These were parts that came out when my internal struggle reached its peak. I wanted to clearly express this character's feelings, but I felt it was a shame to just act it out, so I thought, 'Ah, I don't care' and just went for it. After that, it actually became easier to act. I think I started using that expression method from then on.""If I worry about whether the viewers will find it awkward, my acting becomes inhibited. I decided not to worry about it for fear of it becoming unnatural. Instead of referring to the original work or references, I tried to lower the barrier to entry by thinking, 'If I were Baek Ho-rang in this world, how would I act?'"Thus, Kim Young-kwang gradually melted into the character by following Baekhorang's emotions. In fact, there were reactions that the initially prickly third-generation chaebol seemed to overlap with the human Kim Young-kwang in the latter half. Kim Young-kwang said, "After all, the subject or material is 'me,' isn't it? In that state, as I got closer to the other actor and joked around a lot, my own self might have come out more. In reality, the boundaries gradually blurred, and I think this created a more natural and beautiful appearance."Actor Kim Young-kwang mentioned Chae Soo-bin, with whom he worked on the Netflix original series 'Tell Me Your Wish'. /NetflixWhat Kim Young-kwang considered most important while building Baek Ho-rang was surprisingly "the basics." Instead of twisting familiar romance tropes, he decided to faithfully follow those formulas. He emphasized, "Our goal was to make the clichés cliché, and to make viewers feel the familiar taste while watching those clichés."He did not refer to the original novel separately and valued the chemistry created on set. As the stage directions in the script were short, the director and actors worked together through rehearsals to flesh out the scene's blocking and movements. Kim Young-kwang explained, "I think the clues given by the space are also important. When the environment surrounding the character, like Baekhorang's house, is well-made, the character is naturally maintained."The chemistry with Chae Soo-bin also helped in naturally completing the character. Kim Young-kwang said, "Chae Soo-bin is really cute in real life, isn't she? Above all, she accepts any acting I do well. For example, even if I suddenly do something I didn't do during rehearsal, she reacts well to it. We became close while filming in the countryside, eating together and going out, and I think that process was well incorporated into the drama, creating chemistry."In his eyes, Chae Soo-bin was an actress with not only charming appeal but also depth and flexibility. Kim Young-kwang expressed his affection, saying, "She's like a squirrel and a koala. She's an actress who makes you want to hug her, and that's her weapon. She's deep in thought yet flexible. I'm running around wildly on set, but Su-bin often sits and thinks. I thought she was a thoughtful friend."Actor Kim Young-kwang said that through 'Tell Me Your Wish', he re-experienced the charm of rom-coms and will greet viewers with another rom-com in his next project. /NetflixHis perspective on the world also changed through the romance genre. Kim Young-kwang said, "When I do romance, I feel like I'm floating. It changes my heart and thoughts to be beautiful and makes me think good thoughts.""When I played villains, I didn't have many beautiful thoughts. But after filming 'Tell Me Your Wish', the surrounding scenery looks beautiful. Even today, I thought, 'Why is the sky so pretty?' (laughs) If I keep doing it, I might fly away too much, so I think I need genre dramas to keep my feet on the ground sometimes."However, his craving for romance did not end with this work. His next project is also a romantic comedy. In 'Queen of the Training', which he is currently filming, Kim Young-kwang plays a man who has a fatal charm while being trained by his partner. He said, "It's a rom-com with a different flavor than 'Tell Me Your Wish'," and asked for anticipation.Kim Young-kwang wants to choose projects that interest him rather than being limited by genre. He said, "I like works where I can imagine a scene or feel intrigued. There's no specific genre I have to do. I want to do works that my heart leads me to without any restrictions, as I want to do various things right now.""I think some people think I'm scary because I don't show any expression and don't talk. I wish they would realize that I'm a kinder, more like a friendly neighborhood older brother than they think. Recently, after filming various promotional content, I realized that fans are more interested in hearing about my behind-the-scenes stories than I thought. So, I'm working hard to create more points of contact where I can get closer to many people through my work, so I hope you'll look forward to it."sstar1204@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]